Elly De La Cruz continued his Minor League rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville on Saturday night, going 0-for-3 while manning the DH spot in the Bats’ lineup.
The two-time All-Star grounded out twice and struck out before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning.
De La Cruz reached base three times via two hits -- including a home run -- and a walk while playing five innings at shortstop in his first rehab game on Friday. He is slated to play a full nine innings at shortstop on Sunday in what could be his final rehab game.
“He wanted to come back today,” Reds manager Terry Francona said on Saturday before Cincinnati’s 10-2 win over the Yankees. “I think he was joking, but it was kind of cool. I got a text after the game and it goes, ‘I’ll be there tomorrow.’”
De La Cruz was hitting .280 with 12 home runs and an .855 OPS in 58 games before landing on the IL with a right hamstring strain on June 1. It’s the first time that the 24-year-old has been on the IL in his four-year MLB career.
The Reds (36-39) are averaging just 3.82 runs per game in 17 games without De La Cruz. They’ve gone 6-11 in that span – the second-worst winning percentage of any team in the Majors – and sit 9 1/2 games behind the first-place Brewers in the NL Central.